Host towns for Tour de Yorkshire 2018 announced

The host towns for 2018 include Barnsley, Halifax, Leeds and Doncaster.

Today the eight towns that will host the start and finish points for the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire were announced.

These include four first time hosts of the event: Barnsley, Halifax, Ilkley and Richmond. The other start and finish towns will be Beverly, Doncaster, Leeds and Scarborough.

The race is organised by Welcome to Yorkshire and the Amaury Sport Organisation.

Race extended

It was announced earlier this month that the race, which has been held for the last three years, will be extended from three days to four, with the women’s race increasing to two days. The 2018 Tour de Yorkshire will be held from Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th May and the Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire will take place on the Thursday and Friday.

Since its launch in 2015, following the huge success of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ in the county, the race has established itself as one of the most exciting and well supported on the cycling calendar.

The 2017 race saw 2.2 million fans coming out onto the streets of Yorkshire to cheer on the riders and it was broadcast live in 180 countries, with an extra £64 million being generated for the county’s economy.

The full route for the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire will be announced on Tuesday 5th December.